clarity

Scientists today presented research findings and recommendations to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board that address Lake Tahoe’s aquatic nearshore environment and the heightened interest in understanding factors contributing to its apparent deterioration.

"Look at Lake Tahoe as the picture and Highway 50 as the frame" were the words of South Lake Tahoe Mayor Tom Davis as he spoke at the Trout Creek Bridge to Ski Run Boulevard Project Ribbon Cutting ceremony on Friday.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in the Sierra, Northern California and Nevada. This report is for the week of Aug. 28 through Labor Day. Don't forget, California's second free day of fishing without a license will be Saturday, Sept. 7.

It has been 17 years since President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore stood on the shores of Lake Tahoe and issued a challenge. They urged the frequently fractious perspectives in the region to come together in support of the restoration of Lake Tahoe.

While clarity improved at Lake Tahoe for a second straight year in 2012, long-term trends show that climate change is impacting the Lake Tahoe Basin with drier years, less precipitation, higher lake temperatures and projected lower lake levels.

These conclusions are found within the lake's annual health exam,"Tahoe: State of the Lake Report 2013," released today by the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at the University of California, Davis.

Nevada Senator Harry Reid today co-sponsored, along with Senator Dean Heller (R-NV), and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act that was introduced today by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act continues the federal commitment to Lake Tahoe by authorizing $415 million over 10 years to improve Lake Tahoe’s water clarity, reduce risks from catastrophic wildfires, combat invasive species and restore and protect the environment in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The Tahoe Fund is kicking off its 2013 fundraising season with the announcement of four 2013 Signature Projects that will help restore Lake Tahoe clarity and improve recreation in the Basin.

The projects include beach improvements at Sand Harbor State Park, Asian Clam control in Emerald Bay, a mile of bike trail along the West Shore, and a new bridge across Angora Creek in the Washoe Meadows State Park. Interested donors can learn more about these projects on the Tahoe Fund website here.

A one-mile section of new multi-use path at Stateline, Nev., near the South Shore casinos, was unveiled to the public Thursday, June 20, 2013, marking the beginning of what will eventually become a system of trails that circumnavigates the lake.

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners will consider approval of a new area plan for Lake Tahoe’s South Shore on Thursday, June 2. The Douglas County Area Plan is the first to be proposed since the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency adopted the Regional Plan Update in December 2012.

Here is the Memorial Day weekend fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of May 22-28. Pack plenty of sunscreen, fill your cooler full of cold beverages and enjoy the long holiday weekend.

Fire fuel reduction plans and forest thinning projects amounting to about 10,000 acres around South Lake Tahoe have been approved by the Lahontan Regional Water Board. Plans will get underway this summer with efforts lasting anywhere between eight to 10 years, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The large-scale project has been in the works since the 2007 Angora fire where 254 homes burned.
The following is a joint news release from the U.S. Forest Service and the Lahontan Board.

The Tahoe Fund, Lake Tahoe’s non-profit dedicated to funding environmental improvement projects, received a $28,351 check from Vail Resorts atop Northstar Resort on Friday.

Lake Tahoe's clarity showed a third consecutive year of improvement in 2012, but more study is needed to determine if the gains are part of a long-term trend.The average clarity for Lake Tahoe in 2...

Lake Tahoe's clarity improved by more than 6 feet last year, according to data released Wednesday by the University of California, Davis, and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The lake's average ...

The Nevada Land Bank currently has funds available to purchase land coverage in all five Hydrozones on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. There is also land coverage available for sale in the Incline Village, South Stateline and Agate Bay areas, as well as one Development Right available in Washoe County.

The Tahoe Fund, an environmental non-profit raising funds for environmental improvement projects in the Tahoe Basin, today announced it has received an “Every Day Capacity Building Grant” from the National Environmental Education Foundation.

The grant program is made possible through the generous support of Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. This grant will provide resources to help the Tahoe Fund expand its online fundraising capacity and donor management capabilities. The Tahoe Fund was one of 29 grantees selected from a competitive pool of 160 applicants. The grant is for $5,000.

Two Tahoe conservation groups, the Sierra Club and Friends of the West Shore, filed a federal lawsuit on Monday challenging new rules for Lake Tahoe that seriously reduce protections for the treasured mountain lake. The new Tahoe Regional Plan Update, approved in December by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), shifts authority over future development decisions to local jurisdictions. The plan also allows those towns and counties to adopt weakened pollution controls that do not meet the minimum environmental requirements established by TRPA.

TEDx, an online education series and offshoot of the popular TED Talks programs, will happen at South Lake Tahoe March 23. The theme of the program is "clarity" and the event will be held at Tahoe Production House.

Getting to North Lake Tahoe’s snowy ski slopes just got a whole lot easier with the launch of the region's first area-wide free ski shuttle serving North Lake Tahoe, Truckee and Donner Summit.

The service runs between area lodging properties to 9 different ski resorts on weekends and holiday weeks now through March 31. It was formed through a collaboration of the North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association in partnership with the Truckee/North Tahoe Transportation Management Association and Placer County, the town of Truckee and several ski resorts.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has partnered with federal, state and local agencies to launch "Tahoe in Depth" a new Lake Tahoe Basin environmental newspaper.

Mailed to every Lake Tahoe Basin property owner this week, the free publication is designed to keep Lake Tahoe homeowners, residents and visitors abreast of the wide variety of activities taking place to protect and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin.

For the first time since 1987, Lake Tahoe has a new regional plan for development and land use.
Twelve of the 14 voting members of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's governing board voted in favor of the new plan, with one member voting against it and another abstaining, according to TRPA spokesman Jeff Cowan.

Business interests say the plan is an overdue overhaul of regulations that will jump-start Tahoe's tourism economy while also protecting its environment.

Closing out a multi-year process to update the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board is scheduled to vote Wednesday, December 12 on the updated plan and supportive environmental documents at Harveys Resort convention center in Stateline. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. with brief statements by state leaders whose leadership resulted in key compromises allowing the plan to move forward, according to TRPA officials.

The environmental non-profit Tahoe Fund presented a $10,000 check today to the Nevada interagency team responsible for implementing thestate’s highest priority Lake Tahoe restoration project, the Third Creek and Incline Creek watershed project. The grant finances a pedestrian bridge over Incline Creek to provide a recreational amenity in the heart of Incline Village and support the Environmental Improvement Program to improve lake clarity and recreational opportunities in the Tahoe Basin.

With the official start to the Tahoe ski season just around the corner, the Tahoe Fund is launching the popular “Plates for Powder” promotion to drive sales of Lake Tahoe license plates.